I’m not going to treat this like a major story. BYU banned man buns. They have a dress code, it’s a private university with religious affiliations, and the case is one for them to decide. Whatever whatever.
Beyond that, I get it. Man buns annoy people. Also, hipsters — or some vague, undefinable idea of hipsters — annoy the sh*t out of people. When we run an article titled “Your Sweet Man Bun Is Making You Go Bald” people share it with glee. These ‘internet comedians‘ (sarcastiquotes well deserved) even went around snipping off man buns, fake-apologized, then revealed that it was all a hilarious hoax and — oh god, hold on, my eyes are rolling so far into the back of my head that I can’t concentrate.
I hate it when people making spoof videos are far more insufferable than the people they’re teasing.
Quasi-jokes aside, people do despise man buns. Enough that the Harvard Crimson writes about it (this is why Will Hunting and his friends hated smart kids, FYI). Enough that Metro said they “must be stopped,” as if man buns were the bubonic plague. Enough that this guy said it was ruining the country, which…again…fine. (You get those clicks, pal!)
But it all begs the question: Have we gone too far with reviling other people’s minor stylistic choices? Should we all just Netflix and chill on the hate? Are we forgetting the fact that, for all their ironic mustaches and messenger satchels, hipsters make really good bread? My personal opinion is “stop caring about anything that doesn’t negatively affect you” and also “man buns highlight a dude’s cheekbones super nicely and draw their skin tight in a flattering way.”
But here I am, the person who just wrote a think piece (at least it’s short) criticizing the culture’s criticism of a hair style I don’t even have. So, I’m a hypocrite and it’s none of my business. People can criticize whatever they want. I just think that hating on man buns and waxed mustaches and 1920s style bathing costumes is kinda… intellectually boring. And if it is intellectually boring, and the alternative is not doing it and therefore being nicer, I vote for that every time.
**Feel free to call me an idiot in the comments. Just please go far enough down the rabbit hole to tell me why.**
